Conqueror
by pyrrhicvictoly
Summary: The engagement is broken and Wolfram travels to Earth as Shin Makoku’s ambassador. There, he learns that the Shibuya brothers play their roles as Maou in very different ways. Yuuri is a pacifist. Shori is a conqueror. Shoram, WIP.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Conqueror

**Pairing:** Shori/Wolfram

**Summary:** The engagement is broken and Wolfram travels to Earth as Shin Makoku's ambassador. There, he learns that the Shibuya brothers play their roles as Maou in very different ways. Yuuri is a pacifist. Shori is a conqueror.

**Chapter 1**: In which Shori is introspective, and water is cruel to the Shibuya brothers.

**A/N:** I hope no one's OOC, but Yuuri's characterization has been somewhat influenced by his internal monologues in the novels. Names of former Maous are taken from the first novel, as is Yuuri's nickname, the "Turkish March". One of his former teachers calls him that because of his super ranting abilities, LOL. Other than that, this is my first fanfic... so _don't_ feel you have to be nice to me. Brutal honesty is welcome. Criticism is delicious, like s'mores.

Oh yes, and bonus points if you can spot the Ah-nold reference.

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_Sho-chan,_

_Mama is so proud of you and Yu-chan, you know? Ah! Both of my boys are going to be Maous! They grow up so fast! It seems like just yesterday when we took you to the optometrist and you got your first pair of glasses and they were so big (because you were so small) that they took up your entire face. And that time at the mall in New York where you helped pick out all of Yu-chan's new dresses, and then that time when…_

_Well, no matter how old you get, you'll always be my little boy. Mama wants you to know that even after you finish college and go to Switzerland like you and Bob-san have planned (and even if you never sprout wings), Mama's love will always be with you, Sho-chan. Just like Mama's homemade curry will be waiting for you when you visit. Don't you feel your Mama's love?_

_Oh, by the way, Sho-chan, are you seeing anyone? Yu-chan's already been engaged for years now and even has a daughter. Well, I suppose he's a bit young to be getting married… But Sho-chan, you never let me meet any of your dates. When are you going to bring home that special someone, hmm? Mama doesn't want to pressure you, but spending all day on the computer playing __**those**__ types of games can't be good for your eyes._

_Kyaaa! Sho-chan is so handsome and professional now. Your babies will be sooo cute! Oh, I hope they have wings! But no, Uma-chan says he's never seen a Mazoku with wings. So maybe…maybe little teeny tiny horns on their heads, or pointed ears. SO CUTE! I can't wait to put pretty dresses on my granddaughter!_

…_Or grandson. You can't let a little thing like gender stop you from being fashionable._

-------------------------

Shori looked up at his mother while she finished vacuuming his room and closed the door behind her, moving into the hallway while cheerfully humming. She was always so happy and carefree, but with a wild imagination and a…unique way of showing her love. _Yu-chan really does take after her_. He adjusted his glasses and returned to the computer. There was a new message from Bob, which brought Shori's mind back to the fact that he'd be Maou soon. Very, very soon.

Bob had decided to retire. He confided in Shori that he was exhausted. Being the Maou of the Business World, as he was called, was hard work. Bob was determined to step down as soon as Shori had graduated, which had been just a few short days ago. He was 21 and Yuuri was already 18. Speaking of Yuuri, like their mother said, they really do grow up so fast.

Shibuya Shori was many things. Human, Mazoku, heir to the Maou of Earth, and, as Yuuri would say, "Overbearing, overprotective, _annoying_ older brother. Stop stealing my octopus wieners, Shori!"

He was an ambitious young man well on his way to becoming a force to be reckoned with. Unlike Yuuri, Shori wanted power and recognition, and he actively pursued it. He didn't have Yuuri's innocent, sweet disposition. He couldn't bumble his way through the position of Maou and have his subjects love him regardless.

No, Shori could not be Yuuri, but he could damn well be the best Maou the Earth had ever seen. If that meant he had to constantly push himself to the limit, then so be it. He would rise to the challenge.

He remembered the time when Yuuri had started ranting about history lessons or something over breakfast. Shori, of course, had berated his lazy younger brother about not taking his studies seriously, and how was he ever going to make it into college with these abysmal grades? (Yuuri had, in fact, gotten in to an abnormally average school for students with mediocre everything. At least it was nearby.)

Yuuri merely pouted and grumbled.

"But Shori! You don't understand how violent the peoples' attitudes are in Shin Makoku. All I want is peace, but I'm up against thousands of years of prejudice and hatred. The Mazoku live for so long that they can really hold a grudge!"

"And? I thought you said you were going to change all that?"

"I am! I just get frustrated sometimes, especially when Gunter makes me read all those history books and all they have are wars that a former Maou started for basically no reason at all. You know there are these portraits of all the rulers of Shin Makoku, right?"

"Yes, I saw them while I was touring the castle."

"Well, the former Maous all have these horrible names like Henstridge Davidson the Slaughterer and Basilio von Rochefort the Cruel…"

"That doesn't sound too bad. There are plenty of rulers on Earth who have rather unsavory monikers as well."

"I know that, but not all from one country, not ten or so rulers all in a row, and certainly not as bad as Grisela Trintignant Yaft the _Beheader_. Brittany von Wincott the _Blood-Spiller_." Yuuri was on a roll now, and the Turkish March wouldn't stop until he'd either made his point or the current thought train completely derailed. Shori was secretly proud that his little brother could remember his history lessons with such detail. Secretly.

"All right, Yuuri."

"The _Widow-Maker_. The _Cannibal_. The _Red Death. _The _Man-Eater_. The _Skull-Crusher_. I'm surprised there isn't a Conan the Barbarian in there somewhere."

"All right, Yuuri! You've made your point!" Shori glanced at Yuuri, who pouted some more and looked back at Shori with those huge, shining little-brother-eyes, then stuffed a piece of toast into his mouth, cutely nibbling on the corner. Those eyes… and his cheeks were puffed out with food so that he looked just like an innocent little hamster. Damn, but his brother-complex was coming back full force.

"It's just that…I kind of wish some of them had had friendlier names, you know, like why couldn't there have been The Queen of Hearts or The Roller Coaster Tycoon. Or maybe like that store that just opened last week – the one with all the commercials on TV right now, the Mattress King? Well…maybe that would be a little too 'soft' for a Maou. Heheh. Waitaminute. 'Soft'? Aaah! Conrad's bad puns are rubbing off on me! I'm infected!"

"Really, Yuuri. I didn't know stupidity was contagious."

"What--" Yuuri blinked and stared for a moment while Shori smirked. Then the light bulb flicked on in his neglected brain and he gasped. "You just insulted Conrad! Take that back!"

"Oh? A little slow on the uptake, are we? I guess it _is_ contagious then." Shori got up and walked toward the living room.

"Rrrrr… Why you-- That's it!"

Yuuri, puffing and red-faced, tackled Shori from behind. They ended up laughing and tussling on the floor like they used to, for the first time in almost a decade.

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Shori chuckled at the memory. Well, he was going to be Maou. The Maou was entitled to a few quirks. On the screen, the feisty Wakana-chan was pouting at him. Kiss her? Or hold her hand? Hmm… It was probably better to move slowly and hold her hand first. Girls liked that. He clicked. Wakana-chan angrily stomped off while shaking her cute, scantily-clad ass. "You lose, wimp!"

Yes, the future was bright and anxious, and the new Maou was a pervert. For now, though, he would calm his nerves by taking a bath.

Shori stretched, cracking his neck, which was a bit sore from sitting in front of the computer all afternoon, and most of the morning, too. He headed into the bathroom and drew up a bath. While the water was running Shori stripped off his t-shirt and jeans, revealing his lean body. He had his father's broad shoulders, and had filled out quite nicely. However, Shori had always been more of an intellectual than a physical man, and his looks would never be comparable to the uncanny beauty of the demons from Shin Makoku. He understood how Yuuri felt – compared to _them_, the people of Earth were decidedly average, homely even. "Mmm. I should probably work out a bit more. Wouldn't want to end up like Dad, who can't even keep up with Mom…"

He took off his glasses and set them on the counter, then stepped into the tub. The water was nice and hot, just how he liked it. Shori closed his eyes and leaned back, letting the water soothe everything away for a few blissful minutes. He briefly considered masturbating, but dismissed the idea and was about to start washing when he heard a bubbling noise. Bubbles? Why would there be bubbles in the tub? It's not like he had gas or—

"What the--?!" A head! A human head burst up between his thighs!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**: Yuuri and Wolfram have a chat, talk to Gwendal, and go to Earth…and Yuuri is scarred for life. Wolfram secretly enjoys the view. (Guest appearance by Gwendal's magical wrinkles.)

**A/N:** Oh noes! Yuuri is hijacking this part! I can't help it. He's just so squishable… Also, slight spoilers for the beginning of season 3.

Wow! Wasn't expecting so many hits for the first chapter! Thank you to all the readers and reviewers! I really appreciate the feedback.

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Wolfram's eyes, usually blazing with defiance, were puffy and red, but dry. His lip quivered a bit, but he clamped down on it with his teeth. It was unbefitting a proud noble Mazoku of his stature, a soldier and a former prince, nonetheless, to show such weakness. Perhaps he was a pampered, spoiled, selfish, arrogant, foul-tempered bratling, but Wolfram von Bielefeld was _not_ a _wimp_. He did not _cry_, even when he was experiencing his first real taste of heartbreak in 80-some years of existence.

"Wolf… Are you…okay?" Yuuri asked.

"Fine! Just fine!" he snapped back, and immediately regretted it. Yuuri was looking at him with caring and concern, and Wolfram felt like a heel.

"I'm so sorry, Wolf. I never meant to string you along. I mean – it's just – we… You're one of my best friends and I didn't want to make you sad by breaking off the engagement, but now I guess I made it even worse by waiting so long."

"Years, Yuuri. I've been waiting for you for years and you never had any intention of making good on that slap and marrying me! You're such an idiotic cheating wimp!"

"I didn't know. I really didn't know you felt that way about me."

"Like I said, you're an idiot! How could you _not_ know? How could I have made it any more obvious that I love you?" Wolfram's voice trailed off into a whisper. It hurt that the man he'd come to love was still so gentle in his rejection. Yuuri gulped and prayed that what he was about to say would come out okay.

"I…love you too. Just not in that way! It's like a brotherly kind of love where we annoy each other all the time and fight and stuff, but anyway, that's why I don't think of you in the romantic sense. Because then that would be incest, which is really not my thing, not to mention I hear it results in deformed children…eh, can male Mazoku get pregnant? After all the weird events I've seen in this world, I'm not going to say it's not a possibility because that's what I said about flying skeletons and same-sex marriage, and look how that turned out!

And besides, I really just want you to be happy. Isn't that what love is? Wanting the other person to be happy? I'm not really sure but that's what my mom says. So I want you to be happy and I know that if I forced myself to – you know, kiss you and have s-s-sex with you and things like that then you'd know that I was faking it and that would make you miserable, and so we'd both be miserable for the rest of our lives! I saw this same plotline in a historical drama once…and…" Oh, crap. He was rambling again.

"A-anyway, I think this is for the best. You really are great, Wolfram. This time I'm really going to let you go so you can find someone who will appreciate you better than I can." There. Finally. That last part didn't come out _too_ badly. Compared to the rest of it, that is.

W0lfram was silent for a while, and Yuuri suddenly had the awful image of Wolfram actually drowning in a sea of Yuuri's words. A horrible statue of Yuuri, pumpkin pants and all, opened its mouth and words gushed out like water out of a fountain. _"Glub glub blubberrrr…"_ went Wolfram, pale hand extended above the water, steadily sinking. At least the Yuuri-fountain wasn't one of those little pissing cherubs…

He started speaking and Yuuri snapped out of his reverie.

"Thank you. And…I guess, now that I'm no longer your fiancé, it would be inappropriate for me to be so informal with you…Heika."

"Aaaaah! Don't you dare!" Yuuri sputtered, "I already have to remind Conrad to call me by my name at least twenty times a day! Not you, too!"

"…Wimp."

Yuuri sighed. Yup. All was well in the world.

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Yuuri and Wolfram walked side by side to Gwendal's office. For once, it was a comfortable silence. They rounded the corner together just in time to see Anissina come out of the office with a devilish glint in her eyes.

"He's all yours, boys. I made sure to leave him in working condition this time," she chuckled. Anissina strode off, obviously in a good mood.

"Eeeh…You think Gwendal's all right?"

"Aniue is tough. He'll be fine, so let's just get this over with."

As they entered the room, Yuuri could tell that this was a Bad Day according to the number of wrinkles on Gwendal's forehead. Sometimes, Yuuri swore, wrinkles would spontaneously appear and disappear, or even switch places. Reading Gwendal's wrinkles was an esoteric skill, like Fengshui.

Today, two of Gwendal's small wrinkles had merged to form one _big_ wrinkle right smack dab in the middle. That was a bad omen if Yuuri ever saw one, and he'd seen plenty, so he hid behind Wolfram. Cowardly, yes, but effective.

"Ah, Wolfram." Gwendal gave a curt nod to Yuuri as well. What he could see of Yuuri's head peeking out over the blonde's shoulders, anyway. "You're just in time."

"Huh? In time for what, aniue?"

"I have a possible position for you, as Shin Makoku's ambassador to Earth," Gwendal calmly stated.

Wolfram's eyes widened. The younger prince was shocked, to say the least. He nodded for his brother to continue.

"It has come to my attention that there is interest among the Mazoku of Shin Makoku to regain contact with our brethren on Earth and vice versa, yet we are not familiar with their culture or political climate, nor have we sent much of an envoy to get in contact with their leaders. To facilitate cross-cultural exchange, we feel there is a need for someone who is well versed in Mazoku traditions to educate those on Earth of their lost heritage, arrange meetings and visitations between our peoples, and so on and so forth.

So far, diplomatic functions between the two Mazoku nations have been carried out by the Daikenja, but he is otherwise occupied at Shinou temple here and with his life as Murata Ken on Earth, and thus cannot carry out these extra duties. The natural choice, then, would be you, Wolfram.

Lord Waltorana von Bielefeld has informed me that you will not be needed on Bielefeld lands for the foreseeable future. Your duties here can also be delegated to your men. And, most importantly, seeing as you are still the heir to the throne until the Ten Nobles decide otherwise, this will be an invaluable opportunity for you to gain diplomatic experience if you are ever to reprise your role as the 28th Maou."

Wolfram was rather dumbstruck. "I-- I'll think about it."

"Hn. Good. That is all I ask."

"Um…Not to ruin the mood or anything, but…" Yuuri stuttered, "Er…that is…we have something else to say."

"Yes? Do you have business with me, Yuuri Heika? Wolfram?" The tone was calm, but Gwendal's frown looked like a fissure from an earthquake had split his face. Yuuri decided to keep his mouth shut and let Wolfram do the talking. Contrary to popular belief, he did value his life.

"Ahem. Yuuri and I would like to request a formal dissolution to our engagement."

"…Again?"

"…Yes, again."

"…" Gwendal heaved a deep sigh and rubbed that spot above his eye. The stress headaches were kicking in. "And when will you decide to reinstate the engagement this time? When will you two be serious? The Maou must set an example for his people, and this—this frivolity among the royal couple will not be looked upon highly, as it was not for your predecessor."

"It won't be reinstated. We've come to an agreement. Together." Wolfram was able to look his brother in the eye and deliver his lines perfectly. Yuuri was sure he'd made the right choice in keeping quiet. _Yeah, just leave it to Wolf,_ he thought.

"Besides, it's not like everyone can have freakishly perfect, non-cheating relationships like you and Gunter," Wolfram mumbled bitterly.

Oh, that was it! Yuuri couldn't hold it in anymore and shouted out, "Hey! I'm not a cheater!" He pointed accusingly at Wolfram and then… "Wait, no! It can't be! Gwendal and Gunter?! Waaaah!"

"Calm down, Yuuri! Everyone knows!"

"How can this be?! Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"It's…not exactly a secret, Yuuri Heika."

Gwendal twitched uncontrollably. Oh, lord, but the Maou was dense sometimes.

------

"So you're coming with me to Earth?" Yuuri looked over at Wolfram.

"Yes. I've decided to take the position."

"Well, just take my hand, then. I'll pull us through."

He took Wolfram's hand and dove into the pool. The water spun them around and around, and no matter how many times he had done this, the trip between worlds always felt like being sucked into a miniature black hole in a luxury toilet in the girls' bathroom. Super suction power indeed. _Here we are, in…The Twilight Zone! Cue creepy music here. Doo do doo do~ Doo do doo do~_

"Bwah!" Yuuri gulped in a few sweet breaths and looked up. He was thankful that the water he'd landed in wasn't ice-cold this time and-- "Oh my god Shori my eyes holy crap close your legs!"

Shori, on the other hand, was experiencing the horror of having his little brother's head explode out of the water from between his thighs in a mad parody of childbirth. The intrusion had pushed his legs up out of the water and put them directly face to crotch.

The siblings looked on, unable to take their eyes away from the train wreck in front of them. Suddenly, the water in the already crowded bathtub rippled again, right in between them.

"Hah!" A blonde head burst through the portal, also between Shori's legs, but facing away from the delicate bits. "Hm? What's wrong, Yuuri?"

Yuuri immediately grabbed his friend's head. "Don't. Turn. Around."

Wolfram, being Wolfram and therefore not a wimp, turned around.

He did not scream. Instead, he let out a tiny strangled squeak which could have been considered cute if it wasn't so undignified that he would never dare to admit that it was possible for him to emit such a sound.

Is sounded suspiciously like "Meep!"

Mouth opened in shock and blushing madly, he covered his eyes with his hands. Shori leapt out of the tub and skittered out the door, naked and laughing. Had he no _shame_?

Wolfram's cheeks were burning under his palms as he peeked through his fingers. Just to see if the coast is clear, he told himself. In the back of his mind, it was duly noted that the view from behind was just as nice as the front.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:** Plans are made and carried out. Shori plays with fire. Wolfram realizes too late that Yuuri's brother is a total creep. (Tsk tsk, Shori. You know Wolfy isn't that easy.)

**A/N:** Conqueror now has a cracky spin-off, An Infectious Disease Called Love. It's ConYuu and takes place after this story…and this story isn't even done ^^; I got a request that there be no ConYuu, but I wrote that before I got the review, sorry! Just to clear things up, the main story will probably only have tiny hints of future ConYuu if you squint and look at it diagonally. Side-stories may focus more on that pairing because I'm a horrible ConYuu fangirl like that.

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They were having curry for dinner. It was delicious as always, but as Wolfram dug in, he felt a slight twinge of remorse that he probably didn't have the right to call her Mama anymore.

Although Wolfram didn't feel much like eating, he forced himself to finish his plate. With a grimace, he noticed that Yuuri was not having the same dilemma. Instead, the young king was asking for a second helping already! Miffed, Wolfram occupied himself with trying to appear as normal as possible.

When dinner was finished, Yuuri quietly asked his parents to sit down with them in the living room. Shori, sensing something important, tagged along as well. The tension was thick in the air. Wolfram could feel its cloying presence and he couldn't take it anymore. He didn't have the patience to beat around the bush and was about to speak when Yuuri beat him to it.

"Um…Mom, Dad, we – that is, Wolfram and I are no longer engaged."

Yuuri's proclamation was met with a stiff silence. His parents were understandably confused by the whole situation. Truthfully, Yuuri was still a bit confused by the entire engagement fiasco as well. It was an accident, then it was something more, and then…it was gone. Yuuri half expected Shori to burst out with something along the lines of, _"Good, because you aren't getting married until you're 50!"_ but his older brother merely adjusted his glasses in a way that made it impossible to guess what he was thinking. Unexpectedly, it was his father who spoke first.

"Well, as long as you're both happy, so are we. Isn't that right, dear?"

"Of course!" Jennifer beamed, then wilted. "But… Does that mean I won't get to see Wolf-chan in a wedding dress?"

Yuuri chuckled weakly. Just as expected from his mother. He glanced over at Wolfram, fully intent on teasing him about his frilly nightwear, when he saw the Wolfram's eyes were shining with barely suppressed emotion.

Wolfram, meanwhile, was extremely moved. He reached out to clasp Jennifer's hand. "I promise. You will definitely see me in a wedding dress!"

"Oh, Wolf! You make Mama so happy!"

At this, Wolfram bit his lip worriedly. He tightened the hold on her hand. "Can I…still call you Mama?"

"Oh, Wolf!"

The two of them floated off together in what seemed like a shower of shojo manga sparkles and flowers. _So…so dramatic!_ Yuuri twitched a bit. He was beginning to understand Gwendal more and more each day.

------

Wolfram passed the next few days alternately spending time with Yuuri before their inevitable parting, and preparing for his new life with Shori. He explained his mission to them and asked Shori to be put in contact with Earth's Maou, only to be told that the current Maou was much closer to stepping down than he'd previously suspected.

When Wolfram expressed his concern over arriving in the middle of an important power shift, Shori brushed aside his anxiety with a cryptic response. "Don't worry. I'll help you settle in. After all, I'm sure I'll have a use for someone like you."

Several tearful goodbyes and a whole new wardrobe later, courtesy of Jennifer, Wolfram found himself dressed in an immaculately pressed suit as he and Shori boarded the plane together. He found his seat and glanced out the window, hoping to catch sight of his surrogate family. They were looking out of the large airport windows and seemed so far away. Wolfram doubted they could see him, but he managed to spot Yuuri's gentle, somewhat sad smile. He hadn't even left, and already he was homesick for Japan, not to mention Shin Makoku.

Wolfram snapped out of his reverie when he felt a nudge against his arm. It was Shori, handing over a small stack of paper bags. "I asked the stewardess for extra air-sickness bags," he said.

The blonde Mazoku blushed at the consideration and mumbled a thank you as the flying metal death-trap jiggled and lurched into the sky like an inebriated mechanical pelican. He further expressed his gratitude by not covering the other man in vomit.

Halfway through the flight, Wolfram's stomach had completely emptied itself and he was left staring dazedly ahead with a pounding headache and the occasional dry heaving. His opinion of Shori was gradually changing for the better, though. Wolfram hadn't often been in contact with him in the past, and his thoughts more or less ran along the lines of Shori being Yuuri's strangely overprotective older brother. The older sibling's obsession with Yuuri was understandable, since everyone was obsessed with Yuuri, but Wolfram admitted that it had been borderline inappropriate in some cases.

Now, however, Wolfram felt that he had underestimated his traveling companion. Gone was the shameless naked man dashing from the bathroom. In his place was the perfect gentleman. The soukoku sat next to him with his portable computer-thing open, quietly typing away. Occasionally, he would turn to Wolfram and softly ask if there was anything he could get for the Mazoku. He even helped Wolfram lean back and carefully covered him with the thin blanket found in the overhead compartment. This was how Wolfram spent the rest of the flight, being embarrassingly tended to by the new Maou.

"Ah, thank you for the hard work," Shori spoke into the phone. He snapped the machine closed and turned to Wolfram. "Rooms have been prepared for us in the corporate building. Luckily, certain quarters were built to accommodate residential living. Unless you have any objections, I thought we could stay there for the time being and save the trouble of having to commute each morning."

"No, not at all." Wolfram struggled to sit upright as the plane prepared to land. "Thank you for preparing everything, and for…for taking care of me, Shori Heika."

"Please, just Shori will do." He gave Wolfram a sparkling, confident smile.

The beautiful Mazoku was still blushing as they stepped out of the ninth circle of hell and back into the stable, unmoving world.

------

Almost as soon as they arrived in Switzerland, Shori was called away to business meeting over the weekend. Their only glimpse of Bob had been when the older man approached them on the first day wearing an obnoxiously loud Hawaiian shirt instead of his usual suit, claiming to be taking the advice of the 26th Maou of Shin Makoku and going off on a carefree cruise, though perhaps minus the quest for love.

They barely had time to settle into their new surroundings when the call came from some of Bob's old business partners in the area, wanting to meet the successor. Shori assured Wolfram that this was just a standard meeting with humans, so Wolfram did not need to be present. In fact, it was better if he stayed within their headquarters for a while and continue to study the various human cultures of Earth.

Left to his own devices, Wolfram made a few excursions to the neighboring town where he was bombarded with shocked gasps, nosebleeds, and people fainting dead away from his beauty. All par for the course, really. His destination was usually the public library, where he had signed up for a membership using his new fake ID and would quickly grab a stack of books and return to his chambers in the large office building. After all, he couldn't read Earth languages yet, and he didn't want to use one of Anissina's strange devices in front of so many humans.

Wolfram was glad he had Anissina's Evil-Demon-Tongue-Shin-Makoku-to-Eight-Major-Earth-Languages-Pocket-Dictionary-kun. It looked like a handheld electronic dictionary, or possibly a really large and outdated cell phone, but in addition to manually looking up words, it could actually translate written text that was waved in front of it. The downfall was that the output came in the form of Anissina's scary voice blaring out the newly translated information.

Shori returned from his meeting and was finally able to relax and unpack all of his personal belongings. Wolfram looked on approvingly at the Maou's conduct. While the circumstances were different between the two worlds, the elder Shibuya brother willingly took on the responsibilities of his position without having to rely so heavily on his retainers. So far, he was doing his job admirably well.

They met to discuss their current situation and future plans, but toward the end of the conversation, Shori switched topics.

"I heard a strange rumor about a certain blonde beauty who has been seen going to the library every day this past weekend."

Wolfram coughed, then stuck his nose in the air and affected his most pompous tone. "Ahem! I am merely doing my duty. There is nothing strange about it."

"Have you by chance encountered the tale of 'Beauty and the Beast'?"

"No. Why?" Wolfram narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He didn't have the patience for beating around the bush. Shori's grin widened.

"You should look it up. They're calling you 'Belle' after the female protagonist."

"Perhaps I will."

Wolfram arrogantly sniffed, and Shori leaned in closer to him, invading his personal space until their breaths mingled. "I wonder…Who is your Beast?" The insufferable Maou suddenly let off with a wink, leaving Wolfram in a state of shock once again.

This surprising turn of events shook Wolfram. Were they…flirting, possibly? He knew very well that he and Yuuri were over, but his heart was on the mend and it was too soon to consider a relationship with anyone else, much less with the brother of his ex-fiancé. Inappropriate didn't even begin to cover it.

But Wolfram felt the pull of this Maou's charisma as well. No one could resist Yuuri for long because he was just so damn _cute_, and although Shori didn't have his younger brother's natural charm, they shared an inner strength that Wolfram found very attractive. It didn't help that he was feeling a slow physical burn in the pit of his stomach whenever they came in close contact. This was something he'd never experienced with Yuuri, who was too innocent to be thought of in such a sensual way.

Wolfram was determined to confront Shori about stopping their unsuitable interactions. As they settled into a comfortable routine, however, he found himself putting it off, thinking that the problem would resolve itself. A few weeks later, the noble was further horrified to find himself responding to the flirtatious advances. This had to stop, for both their sakes.

It was with this thought in mind that Wolfram approached the Maou's rooms after they had retired for the evening. He paused before the simple wooden door, nervous about the upcoming confrontation. He knocked.

"Come in," came the muffled response.

Wolfram twisted the doorknob and slowly pushed open the barrier between them. He was greeted with the sight of a dimly lit room, fairly clean and organized, and with nothing out of the ordinary. The man he had come to see, however, was hunched over a bright screen, engrossed in some sort of game. Wolfram's curiosity got the better of him and he approached, quietly leaning over the other man's shoulder at the scene that had captured all of his attention.

"W-w-what is this?! Why is there a picture of me in this…this com-pu-ta thing? More importantly, why am I portrayed as a woman of loose morals?!"

"Ah, yes. That would be Love Hospital's spirited Nurse Ookami, who treats her patients with ancient sexual healing arts." Shori didn't bat an eye. How could he say such things with that serious face? Wolfram blanched. It was then that he noticed the desk was piled with game cases, each showing a disturbingly familiar seductive woman.

"And…that one?" he pointed to another Wolfram doppelganger in a skimpy pink swimsuit.

"That would be Bikini Paradise 3."

"There…there are three of them."

"Four. I haven't had time to pick up a copy of the latest one."

Wolfram gulped, and his fingers and eyebrows started twitching like mad. If he wasn't careful, Shori's aggravating behavior would give him wrinkles like Gwendal's. "And the girl?"

"She's really my type, you know." Shori's glasses gleamed menacingly and Wolfram was suddenly wary of the new Maou's knowing smirk, which was much too much like Daikenja's when he was scheming. Wolfram did not like it when Daikenja was scheming, because Daikenja's schemes were Shinou's schemes, and Shinou's schemes tended to end in Wolfram literally losing his heart. He narrowed his eyes and said nothing.

"Sakura-chan is very strong, aggressive, tomboyish, and very, very sexy." The young Maou's voice dropped to a deep purr as he leaned in from behind Wolfram. "In fact, she rather reminds me of…you!"

He pounced.

Wolfram screamed.

It was a manly scream, of course. It definitely did not sound at all like, "Eeeeeeee!!!" as Shori's large hands wrapped around his torso, skimming possessively over his chest while the man's lips brushed lightly over his neck and under his ear. The caresses also definitely did _not_ feel good, and were _not_ arousing in the slightest.

Wolfram was suddenly aware that he was squeaking and whimpering in an embarrassing fashion and his temper flared. "Raaaargh! Get off me, you brute!"

Like the well-trained soldier he was, Wolfram twisted to escape his attacker. His elbows collided with Shori's stomach and chin, respectively. The other man doubled over in pain with a muffled "Oof!" then fell over and curled up on his side, gasping. Wolfram got up and glared down at him.

"Hmph!" he smirked and flipped his hair.

"You're very…ah, ow…vivacious. I…like that in a man. Oh, shit that hurt!"

Let it be known that Shibuya Shori, ruthless businessman, Demon King, was not very frightening when he had just had his ass handed to him by a blonde bombshell and was curled up on the floor, clutching his stomach like he had a bad case of the runs.


End file.
